There are numerous instant messaging services out there, which can make things difficult if some of your friends use a specific messenger, while others use different applications. This is where Adium comes in. It enables Mac users to connect to multiple services on one interface. You can stay logged into your Yahoo, Google Talk, Facebook or other accounts and chat with all your friends, regardless of their preferred messaging platforms.

Adium's main user interface resembles a traditional instant messenger, but its layout is much cleaner. You can access the top menus on your screen to find options for adding accounts, contacts, changing display settings and for performing many other actions. The application provides support for numerous accounts, including Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook, Twitter, Bonjour and even IRC channels. All you have to do is select an account type and type in your login credentials on a small window and Adium will do the rest.

Once you have one or more accounts associated with Adium, you can start adding new contacts from those networks, which does not involve anything more than selecting a service and specifying usernames or email addresses. It is also possible to group contacts, based on their used services or to send them to custom groups. The best part is that Adium facilitates communication between different platforms, so your friends can use any instant messaging service they want. For example, you can use Adium on a Mac to chat with a friend who is using Yahoo Messenger on a Windows PC.

The chat window has a clean and simple design as well. What's more, you can chat with several contacts on the same window, on separate tabs. If you are using multiple accounts or a combined account, you can switch between source accounts when sending messages, just by clicking an icon, located on the chat window. It is also possible to block users, insert links, bookmark conversations or send files, from the same chat window.

Pros: You can use multiple chat accounts in the same application. Adium allows you to choose a source account when chatting with friends. Also, the application is capable of sending messages to your contacts, regardless of their preferred instant messengers.

Cons: There are no obvious drawbacks to mention.

Instead of using multiple chat applications, you can use Adium to chat with all your friends, on different networks, from a single interface.